Bottle stopper and seal therefor



Nov. 14, 1939. A. B. DODGE BOTTLE STOPPER AND SEAL THEREFOR Filed Oct. 1, 1938 INVENTOR. m l3 W BY ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Arthur B. Dodge, Lancaster, Pa. Application October 1, 1938, Serial No. 232,865

4 Claims.

My invention relates to devices for breaking or removing bottle stopper seals commonly used on whiskey bottles and the like.

It has long been common practice to wrap a partially transparent sealing strip of relatively tough flexible water proof sheet material, having a base of cellulose or similar material, around the periphery of a bottle stopper and the adjacent neck of the bottle after the usual revenue stamp has been applied. This is particularly true of whiskey bottles. The purchaser can thus readily assure himself that the original contents of the bottle has not been tampered with. As the sealing strips are formed with sight opening 5 windows the revenue stamps beneath the sealing strips are visible for the inspection of Gov ernment agents. However, considerable difficulty is encoimtered in quickly removing these strips due to the nature of the strip and the fact that the revenue stamp, which under Internal Revenue Department regulations must always remain in legible condition, is likely to be removed accidentally with the sealing strips.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a bottle stopper having improved means incorporated therein for facilitating the breaking or removal of the aforesaid sealing strips.

A further object of the invention is to provide means carried by the bottle stopper and entirely concealed by the customary sealing strip for facilitating removal of the latter.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as the description is considered in connection with the accompanying drawing,

in which:

Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section and partly broken away, of a bottle showing the invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the invention;

Figure 3 is a perspective View of my improved stopper;

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the invention applied to a metal cap; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the split ring detached.

Referring more particularly to the drawing i denotes my improved stopper comprising a cork body 2 and a disk-shaped top or cap portion 3, preferably of wood, but which may be of other suitable materialsuch as metal. The wood top or cap portion 3 is made in a breaching press and the cork insert 2 is secured to the disk in any approved manner, as by means of adhesive.

The broached or serrated periphery of the wood top portion of the stopper is formed with a shallow peripheral groove 5. Resiliently seated in the groove 5 is a split ring 6, of slightly resilient wire, one end of the ring terminating in a small loop 1, which projects radially, from 5 the groove. The ring with the exception of the protruding loop l, is preferably flush with the periphery of the top portion 3 of the stopper.

The stoppers just described, are sold to bottlers, preferably with the split ring assembled 10 therewith in the manner just described. However the split ring and stopper may be shipped separately for assembly by the bottler.

' As previously stated it is customary to place I a sealing strip over the stopper, also the revenue 15 stamp (not showing), to prevent tampering with the contents of the bottle on which the stopper is used, and to obviate danger of contamination from exterior matter. Thus, in Figure 1, I have shown one of my improved stoppers in use in the 20 mouth of a bottle 8, on which a conventional sealing strip 9 is employed. The strip or band 9, which is of any suitable tough material such as cellulose covers and completely conceals the split ring 6. However the looped portion 1 of the 25 ring forms a small hump in the sealing strip which enables the bar tender or other person opening the bottle to readily locate the loop. If the bottle is held firmly in the left hand, and the thumb nail of the right hand is pressed beneath 30 the loop I, in an obvious manner, the looped end of the wire may be readily grasped and pulled outwardly thus tearing or cutting the sealing band in a circular direction adjacent the groove 5. This obviates the necessity of using a knife 35 or other instrument in removing the sealing strip, with danger of cutting or otherwise damaging the cork. The loop I has no sharp edges and therefore is not likely to cut a persons fingers.

Figure 4 illustrates a slightly modified form of the invention in which the split ring is shown applied to a conventional screw type of sheet metal cap ill. The split ring 6, in this modification, seats in the groove ll resultingfrom the conventional cap threading operation.

The so called sealing strips 9, are made in the form of tubes cut to proper length and then slipped over the top of the corked bottle neck. These strips have the properties of shrinking to 50 a tight fit on the bottle neck, when exposed to. the air, and thus tightly conform to the contour of the bottle neck and cap immediately after assembly.

Having thus described my invention: 55

What I claim is:

1. A combined bottle stopper and seal comprising a stopper having a cap portion, said cap portion having a peripheral groove formed therein, a split ring rotatably seated in said groove, and a band of flexible sheet material for sealing said cap portion to the neck of a bottle and covering said split ring, said split ring having an offset portion at one end thereof whereby said ring is adapted to be rotated to sever the sheet material.

2. A combined bottle stopper and seal comprising a stopper having a cap portion, said cap,

portion having a peripheral groove formed therein,a split ring rotatably seated in said groove, and a band of flexible sheet material for sealing said cap portion to. the neck of a bottle and covering said split ring, one end of said split ring terminating in a looped portion whereby said ring is adapted to be rotated to sever the sheet material. 1

tion to the neck of a bottle, and a split ring band removing member rotatably mounted on said cap portion and completely covered by said band, an offset looped gripping and cutting portion on one end of said band whereby the ring is adapted to be rotated and the sheet material severed.

ARTHUR B. DODGE. 

